Man dies after being knocked down by Mercedes near racecourse

MUMBAI: A Mercedes cruising along the Mahalaxmi racecourse knocked down a carpenter around 9pm on Monday. The Mercedes later rammed into an oncoming vehicle. While the carpenter, Rajendra Prasad Ram, later died at a hospital, the Mercedes driver has been arrested. One more person was hurt.
The man who was at the wheel of the Mercedes has been identified as Chaitya Lalit Adani (35), said a senior police officer. The Mercedes has been impounded.
A source said that he had tried to avoid hitting the carpenter who was crossing the road. The pedestrian straggled back and forth, leaving the driver of the Mercedes a bit unsettled. The driver panicked and hit Ram. The car swerved around and hit a Volvo coming from the opposite direction near the gate of the racecourse, said the source.
"On seeing the Mercedes, Ram stopped mid-street. The car driver noticed this but assumed that Ram would move ahead due to which he moved the car to his right," said a source. At that split second, Ram moved a few steps backwards and was hit by the Mercedes. Soon after, the Mercedes crashed into the oncoming vehicle which rode over the footpath.
A crowd gathered at the spot and a police vehicle reached the site. A few locals took Ram to hospital where he was declared dead. An officer from Tardeo police station said Adani will be taken to court on Tuesday.